Men’s Track & Field : Men’s Track to Compete at CC Indoor Championship

Motill running at Franklin & Marshall College.
Motill running at Franklin & Marshall College.

 
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College men’s track and field team will compete at the Centennial Conference Indoor Championships in a two-day meet Saturday and Sunday at Franklin & Marshall College.  
 
Media Coverage
The 2020 Centennial Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship will feature live video and live results.
 
Schedule  
The events will start taking place on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. with the women’s weight throw and women’s triple jump taking place first. On Sunday, the first event will begin at 11:00 a.m. with the men’s heptathlon 60-meter hurdles. A complete schedule of events can be found on the conference championship website.
                                                              
Championship History
Gettysburg has never captured a Centennial Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship. The Bullets were runner-ups in 2008, finishing with 112 points as the crown went to Haverford College with 144.50 points. As a team, the Orange and Blue have finished third-place three times (2003, 2002, and 1995).  
 
Johns Hopkins University has won seven titles in a row with Haverford notching runner-up each time. Haverford has claimed the most indoor championships (17) with the last coming in 2012.  
 
Last Season’s Championship Meet
Johns Hopkins captured its seventh-straight CC title, grabbing 152 points on the second day to finish with 186 total as Haverford placed second with 109.5, and Swarthmore College claimed third with 94. Swarthmore collected two of the conference’s major awards with Daniel Belkin earning Outstanding Field Performer and Peter Carroll earning Coach of the Year honors. Earning Outstanding Track Performer was Greg Morgan from Haverford and earning Outstanding Rookie was Justin Canedy from Johns Hopkins. The Bullets placed seventh with 54 points and four athletes garnered all-conference accolades. Alex Petrecca ’19 earned All-Centennial Conference Second Team laurels in the 800-meter and sophomore Corey Palazzolo (Colts Neck, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy, triple jump), Mike Cortese ’19 (weight throw), and junior Nicholas Grissinger (Palmyra, Pa./Milton Hershey, heptathlon) all notched honorable mention.
 
Gettysburg’s Top Times this Season

  • 60-Meter Dash – Colin Motill (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield), 7.17
  • 200-Meter Dash – Colin Motill, 23.58
  • 400-Meter Dash – Eric Liedtka (Hamilton, N.J./Notre Dame), 54.26
  • 800-Meter Run – William Hopkins (Raleigh, N.C./Needham B. Broughton), 2:01.94
  • Mile – Sam Sheldon (Tully, N.Y./Tully), 4:24.16
  • 3,000-Meter Run – Sam Sheldon, 8:42.32
  • 5,000-Meter Run – Sam Sheldon, 14:58.10
  • 60-Meter Hurdles – Eric Liedtka, 9.13
  • 4×200-Meter Relay – Motill, O’Neil, Musgrove, Tubula, 1:38.43
  • 4×400-Meter Relay – Liedtka, Rodriguez, Giordano, Grissinger, 3:39.35
  • 4×800-Meter Relay – Hopkins, Sheldon, Elliott, McKeever, 8:32.28
  • High Jump – Corey Palazzolo, 5’10.75″
  • Pole Vault – Steven Heinbaugh (Fairfield, Pa./Fairfield), 12’11.75″
  • Long Jump – Ken Barnes (Edison, N.J./Westminster School [Conn.]), 22’1″
  • Triple Jump – Fredrick Tubula (Narok, Kenya/Friends Select School), 42’3.5″
  • Shot Put – Stephen Kostohryz (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon), 32’4.75″
  • Weight Throw – Ben Jones (Washington, D.C./Bullis School), 33’10.75″

 
Cracking the Top 10
Eight different athletes have broken into Gettysburg’s all-time performance list this indoor season. Both Sheldon and McKeever have set three marks each into the top 10 list.  

Winner, Winner
The men’s team has seen some outstanding performances this season, which includes producing six individual wins in total. Sheldon grabbed one win at four of the five meets this indoor season, while McKeever and Barnes each claimed one apiece. Sheldon captured the mile (4:24.18) at the Coach I Open, which was hosted by F&M on Jan. 25. The following week, Barnes (Long Jump, 21’8.25″), McKeever (5,000-Meter Run, 15:34.72), and Sheldon (3,000-Meter Run, 8:42.32) all collected victories at the Susquehanna University Challenge. Sheldon then went on to shatter the program record in the 5,000-meter run (14:58.10) on his way to earning first place and becoming the first Gettysburg runner to break 15 minutes indoors at the Noke Elite Meet hosted by Roanoke College on Feb. 8. In the last meet before the conference championship, Sheldon soared to first place in the mile, clocking 4:24.16 at the Susquehanna University Invitational.
 
Regional Rankings
In the latest NCAA Division III Mideast Regional rankings, as released on Tuesday by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, Johns Hopkins claimed the top spot. Seven other Centennial Conference schools rank among the top 40 in the region as well with Ursinus College in seventh, Haverford in 10th, Muhlenberg College in 21st, Dickinson College in 23rd, Gettysburg in 29th, McDaniel College in 32nd, and Swarthmore in 34th.  
 
*Athletes must finish among the top-eight to accumulate points at the championship meet.
 

This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.